Department for Transport

Diesel Vehicles

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to issue guidance to motorists on the future of diesel powered motor vehicles; and if so, when.

baroness sugg: The Government has announced that it is our long-term mission to see every new car and van being effectively zero emission by 2040. The Road to Zero strategy, launched in July, sets out the actions we are taking to bring about our ambition and the role for cleaner diesel vehicles during the transition.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Biotechnology

baroness featherstone: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the bio-economy sector deal will be published.

lord henley: Several sectors have expressed an interest in a Sector Deal. We intend to take forward some further Deals that best meet expectations set out in the White Paper in due course.

Stephen Haddrill

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they were consulted by the Financial Reporting Council on the termination of the employment of Stephen Haddrill and on the financial terms involved.

lord henley: I can confirm that the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy was consulted prior to Stephen Haddrill’s resignation. Mr Haddrill will serve his one-year notice period to allow for an orderly succession. There are no other financial terms involved. We will work together with the Financial Reporting Council to appoint their new Chief Executive following the conclusion of the independent review of the Financial Reporting Council.

Post Office

lord arbuthnot of edrom: To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria they use when considering whether to give permission under Article 11.1(O) of the Articles of Association of Post Office Limited to incur a commitment or liability of more than £50 million.

lord henley: As the sole Shareholder, the Government expects the Post Office Limited to ensure value for money principles in its use of resources at all times. Requests for consent are considered in the light of these principles.

Financial Reporting Council: Accounting Officers

baroness bowles of berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 24 October (HL10985), why Mr Haddrill was appointed responsible accounting officer on 1 August 2017 in view of the fact that he had been Chief Executive of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) since 2009, and the FRC at the date of his appointment was designated a public body under the Government Resources and Accounts Act 2000; whether there was a period during which the FRC operated without a responsible accounting officer; if so, where accountability lay during that period; whether the FRC informed the Public Accounts Committee that it operated without a responsible accounting officer, for how long, and under whose authority; and if not, why not.

lord henley: The Office for National Statistics concluded in December 2014 that the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) was a public body within central government. The Department for Business Innovation and Skills (as it then was) examined whether there was scope for further review. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy concluded in 2017 that they should work with the FRC on the formal application of all relevant guidelines. Prior to that date, the Department communicated the requirements it imposed on the FRC as a public body through the FRC’s Chief Executive Officer.

Companies: Codes of Practice

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of companies they estimate will (1) appoint a director appointed from the workforce, (2)establisha formal workforce advisory panel, (3) appoint a designated non-executive director, and(4) do none of these, as a result of the UK Corporate Governance Code of July 2018.

lord henley: The Government did not set out a preferred option and has not made an estimate of how it anticipates companies will respond. It is for companies to decide which option, or combination of options, will work best in their particular circumstances. The Government is aware that boards are already giving careful consideration to their employee engagement arrangements and intends to monitor closely how companies respond to the new provisions.

Companies: Codes of Practice

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government by what process and criteria they will evaluate companies’ explanations for non-compliance with the revised UK Corporate Governance Code of July 2018; and what steps they plan to take when they deem explanations for non-compliances not to be satisfactory.

lord henley: The UK Corporate Governance Code is the responsibility of the Financial Reporting Council. It is the responsibility of investors to assess the quality of reporting and engage with companies accordingly. The 2018 Code is a substantial revision and comes into force for accounting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2019. Reporting against the revised Code will therefore not be required until 2020 when companies publish their annual reports and accounts for the preceding year. However, the FRC intends to evaluate the extent of early adoption of the new Code in terms of reporting on the application of its Principles and compliance or otherwise with its Provisions and to publish its findings at the end of 2019. The FRC is the subject of an independent review being led by Sir John Kingman which is expected to report before the end of the year.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Gaza: Travel Restrictions

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what reply, if any, they received to their representations to the government of Israel about the refusal of access to Gaza for British medical consultants, and the related deaths of patients in Gaza who were forbidden to travel to Jerusalem for appointments.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office continues to advise against all travel to Gaza (including the waters off Gaza) and we are not able to support individuals applying for entry or exit permits for Gaza. The Government recognises the need for major international organisations to carry out humanitarian and reconstruction work on the ground in Gaza. Medical staff should co-ordinate their entry to and exit from Gaza with those organisations. Israeli restrictions severely restrict the movement of medical professionals and patients in Gaza, hampering the provision of quality health services, as well as the pursuit of studies, continuing education and specialized training for medical professionals. Our Embassy in Israel regularly raises the matter of medical permits with the Israeli authorities.We regularly raise issues relating to medical facilities and personnel with the Israeli authorities. We have stressed the need for safe and unimpeded passage for medical personnel. In particular we raise our concerns about medical facilities in Gaza, and medical permits, with the office for the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT). Our Ambassador to Israel discussed Gaza with COGAT on 17 September. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv raised our concerns about the targeting of health workers with COGAT on 23 August.

Israel: Bedouin

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are making representations to the government of Israel about the Palestinian village of Abu Nuwar which is threatened with demolition; and if so, with what result.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The Government has repeatedly made clear to the Israeli authorities our serious concern at the increase in demolitions of Palestinian properties in Area C of the West Bank, and in East Jerusalem. In all but the most exceptional circumstances, demolitions are contrary to International Humanitarian Law. The practice causes unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians and is harmful to the peace process. We call on the Israeli authorities to cease the policy of demolitions and provide a transparent route to construction for Palestinians in Area C.

Israeli Settlements: Hebron

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make representations to the government of Israel about the proposed new flats for settlers in Hebron, on the site of a former Palestinian market, announced by the Israeli defence minister on 1 November.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: In October 2017, the previous Foreign Secretary issued a statement expressing concern about the approval of 31 construction permits in Hebron for the first time in 15 years. The Government continues to raise concerns on settlements with the Israeli authorities. Settlements are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace, and threaten the physical viability of a two-state solution.

Jamal Khashoggi

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their joint statement with France and Germany issued on 21 October condemning the killing of Jamal Khashoggi and seeking urgent clarification into the circumstances surrounding his death, whether they have discussed the possibility of the expulsion of Saudi Arabian diplomats from the UK, France and Germany.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: There remains an urgent need to establish exactly what happened on 2 October. The actions Britain and our allies take will depend on the credibility of the final explanation given by Saudi Arabia and on our confidence that such an appalling episode will not be repeated. We have vital national security and prosperity interests in maintaining and developing our relationship with Saudi Arabia, including how we work together to tackle regional threats.

Yemen: Conflict Resolution

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the call by the US Secretary of Defense and US Secretary of State on 31 October for all participants in the Yemen civil warto agree to a ceasefire in the next 30 days,what action they are taking tosupport UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths in this initiative.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: At the UN Security Council meeting on Friday 16 November, the UK announced that we would be bringing forward a UN Security Council resolution calling for a cessation of hostilities, steps to improve the humanitarian situation, and support for the work of the UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths.

Sheikh Ali Salman

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Bahrain about the life imprisonment of Bahrain's opposition leader, Sheikh Ali Salman.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The noble Lord will have seen the statement on 4 November by the Minister for the Middle East and North Africa expressing our concerns on the latest sentence. The Minister also raised this with the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to London when they spoke on 5 November. We understand that Sheikh Ali Salman and his co-defendants have a further right of appeal. The UK will continue to closely monitor this process.

Bahrain: Capital Punishment

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of individuals on death row in Bahrain; and of those, how many they estimate have exhausted all legal remedies.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We understand that there are currently 18 people who have been given capital sentences in Bahrain, with each at different stages in the appeals process. There are currently three individuals who have completed the appeals process.

Bahrain: Torture

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to Written Answer by the Minister of State for the Middle East on 11 January (120822), how many reports they received under their Torture and Mistreatment Reporting Guidance from their staff in Bahrain between December 2017 and October 2018; and what measures, if any, they have taken in response.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: No reports under the referred guidance were lodged by staff in Bahrain in the period December 2017 to October 2018.

Bahrain: Political Prisoners

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of political prisoners in Bahrain’s Isa Town prison.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We do not hold figures for the number of prisoners in Bahrain.

Bahrain: Trials

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether British embassy staff in Manama are monitoring the trials of any individuals in Bahrain; and if so, how many they have monitored since the start of 2018.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Officials from our Embassy regularly attend hearings relating to a number of cases and will continue to do so. We do not have precise figures of the number of times officials have attended court sessions.

Israeli Settlements: Hebron

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made, or intend to make, to the government of Israel about an apartment block for settlersbeing built in Hebron.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: In October 2017, the previous Foreign Secretary issued a statement expressing concern about the approval of 31 construction permits in Hebron for the first time in 15 years. The Government continues to raise concerns on settlements with the Israeli authorities: settlements are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace, and threaten the physical viability of a two-state solution.

Gaza: Doctors

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about physicians and surgeons being prevented from accessing Gaza to train doctors.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Government recognises the need for major international organisations to carry out humanitarian and reconstruction work on the ground in Gaza. Medical staff should co-ordinate their entry to and exit from Gaza with those organisations. Israeli restrictions severely restrict the movement of medical professionals and patients in Gaza, hampering the provision of quality health services, as well as the pursuit of studies, continuing education and specialized training for medical professionals.We regularly raise issues relating to medical facilities and personnel with the Israeli authorities. We have stressed the need for safe and unimpeded passage for medical personnel. In particular we raise our concerns about medical facilities in Gaza, and medical permits, with the office for the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT). Our Ambassador to Israel discussed Gaza with COGAT on 17 September. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv raised our concerns about the targeting of health workers with COGAT on 23 August.

Israel: Gaza

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about the killing of Abdel Hamid and two others by a Israeli drone strike near the border between Gaza and Israel.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have not discussed this specific issue with the Israeli authorities. ​The UK has repeatedly made clear to Israel our longstanding concerns about the manner in which the Israeli Defence Forces police protests and the border areas, including the use of live ammunition.

Syria: White Helmets

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement by the Foreign Secretary on 1 November, whether they received independent verification of the claim that the White Helmets had saved 115,000 civilians in Syria; and whether that claim was supported by Mayday Rescue.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The number of 115,000 lives saved is compiled by Syria Civil Defence (SCD), popularly known as the White Helmets, based on operational reports from the SCD volunteer teams and corroborated with video evidence, airstrike data and other reporting from multiple sources including human rights organisations. The number is indeed supported by Mayday Rescue, which is funded by the UK and other donors to provide support to the SCD's work. The UK and other donors also commission independent third party monitoring of the SCD's work in Syria.

Bahrain: Nationality

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made for the number of individuals whose Bahraini citizenship has been revoked by the government of Bahrain leaving them stateless so far this year.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have been clear in our concerns about the revocation of nationality where it renders a person stateless, and we have raised this at a senior level with the Government of Bahrain. We do not hold figures for the number of individuals affected in Bahrain.

Bahrain: Technical Assistance

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what funding they have provided the Bahraini Council of Representatives Secretariat from the technical assistance programme; what assessment they have made of the role of that body in the prevention of opposition parties from participating in the elections in May 2018; and, in the light of any such assessment, whether providing it with funding is consistent with the UK’s international obligations.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The Government works with a number of implementation partners and beneficiaries to support Bahraini-led reform. These programmes aim to support progress on building effective and accountable institutions, strengthening the rule of law, and justice reform. All of our work is in line with international standards, and aims to share the UK's expertise and experience. Any training provided by, on or behalf of, the British Government fully complies with our domestic and international human rights obligations. The UK continues to encourage the Government of Bahrain to ensure upcoming elections are transparent, fair and inclusive.

Gulf States: Technical Assistance

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government which Government departments received funding in the last financial year from the Integrated Activity Fund to carry out their technical assistance programmes in (1) the Gulf, and (2) Bahrain.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​Amongst the range of activities supported through the Integrated Activity Fund, there is one technical assistance programme, which is in Bahrain and is managed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Najah Ahmed Yousif

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the upholding of the three year sentence of the Bahraini political activist, Najah Yusuf, following reports that her confession was extracted under torture and sexual assault.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: I refer the noble Lord to my answer of 23 October 2018 (PQ HL10585). I understand there are avenues of appeal open to Najah Yusuf. We will continue to closely follow this case.

Intelligence Services

lord marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to pursue an agreement with the EU after Brexit to allow the UK to continue sharing certain intelligence available through the Five Eyes agreement with the 27 EU member states.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Intelligence sharing between the British Government and overseas partners is important to the security of our country. The Government's vision for a security partnership with the European Union is set out in the White Paper: "The future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union" (July 2018). This includes a proposal for continued information and intelligence sharing, for example through the EU Intelligence and Situation Centre, European Union Satellite Centre and EU Military Staff. It is the longstanding policy of successive British Governments not to comment on the detail of intelligence matters.​

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Health Services

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the announcement of £200 million funding for the Women’s Integrated Sexual Health programme, which providers will deliver that project;and how much funding each of those providers will receive.

lord bates: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 18 September 2018.The correct answer should have been:

The Women’s Integrated Sexual Health programme will be implemented by two consortia. Marie Stopes International have been awarded a contract for £77 million and International Planned Parenthood Federation have been awarded a contract for £132 million £135 million.

lord bates: The Women’s Integrated Sexual Health programme will be implemented by two consortia. Marie Stopes International have been awarded a contract for £77 million and International Planned Parenthood Federation have been awarded a contract for £132 million £135 million.

Droughts

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what studies they have commissioned to predict the effect that future global water shortages and drought in the southern hemisphere will have on migration patterns, particularly to northern Europe.

lord bates: The Department for International Development has not directly commissioned studies on the impact of water shortages on migration patterns from the southern hemisphere to northern Europe.We recognise climate change and increasing water shortages can combine with other factors to influence migration decisions and therefore fund analytical work to improve the understanding of the impacts of climate change in developing countries. Examples include our work with the Natural Environment Research Council on the Future Climate for Africa Programme and our support to the World Bank’s Water Global Practice, which has produced analyses on the effects of water shortages, including migration. We are also building the evidence base to better understand why people migrate as part of our efforts set out in the 2015 UK Aid Strategy to tackle the root causes of migration.In 2011, the Government Office for Science commissioned the Foresight Report on Migration and Global Environmental Change which analysed how human population movements across the world could be affected by global environmental changes.

Ministry of Justice

Television: Licensing

lord pearson of rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prosecutions of women therehave been for non-payment of the BBC licence fee in the last 12 months; how many of those have led to a prison sentence; and what proportion of all women prisoners this represents.

lord keen of elie: There were 98,999 females prosecuted for TV licence evasion in the year ending December 2017, the latest published data. No prosecutions resulted in a custodial sentence.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Leasehold

lord turnbull: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to help those purchasers of houses with leasehold agreements with excessive uprating provisions to replace such provisions with fairer ones.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government is clear that unfair leasehold practices have no place in the housing sector. We are committed to improving the leasehold system by making it fairer and more transparent. We will be introducing legislation to ban new leasehold houses.It is right that developers who sold leaseholds with onerous terms should support their customers to amend such lease terms. Some developers have introduced assistance schemes which is welcome. The Government is engaging with industry to ensure they are taking action to provide assistance to existing leaseholders with onerous terms.

Ministry of Defence

Shipbuilding

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether orders for new Solid Support Ships and Type 31e frigates are being dealt with as part of the UK’s shipbuilding strategy.

earl howe: Yes.

Home Office

Human Trafficking: Children

lord mccoll of dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Independent Child Trafficking Advocates scheme will continue to operate in the early adopter sites of Greater Manchester, Hampshire and Wales beyond 31 January 2019; and if so, what additional funding has been provided in respect of the continuation of the scheme in those areas.

baroness williams of trafford: The Independent Child Trafficking Advocates provision will continue to operate in the early adopter sites in Greater Manchester, Hampshire and Wales up until the end of March 2020We have invested an additional £2m to expand the ICTA provision into West Midlands, East Midlands and Croydon. This will mean the service will be available in one third of all local authorities by April 2019. Together with our existing and valuable early adopter sites (Greater Manchester, Hampshire, and nationally in Wales), the new sites will help us to test and revise the ICTA service to ensure we have the right model for national roll-out.

Slavery: Children

lord mccoll of dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average length of time taken to make (1) a reasonable grounds decision, and (2) a conclusive grounds decision, for a child referred to the National Referral Mechanism as a potential victim of modern slavery.

baroness williams of trafford: The National Crime Agency (NCA) regularly publishes National Referral Mechanism (NRM) data but does not publish data about the timescales for reaching reasonable grounds or conclusive grounds decisions by either UKVI or the Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Unit in the NCA.The NCA does not publish data regarding the age of potential victims when an NRM decision is made, only whether they were an adult or child at the time when the exploitation took place.Latest statistics on NRM referrals and decisions are available at the following link: http://nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/national-referral-mechanism-statistics/2018-nrm-statisticsFurther information is also available in the 2018 UK Annual Report on Modern Slavery which was published on 18 October 2018.

Human Trafficking: Children

lord mccoll of dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 1 November (HL10891), whether they will instruct the Independent Child Trafficking Advocate service to collect data on the status of a child's National Referral Mechanism referral at the point the child leaves the service so that the data can be anonymised and analysed.

lord mccoll of dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 1 November (HL10891), (1) how many young people who turn 18 while awaiting a National Referral Mechanism (NRM) decisionhave been transitioned into services for adult potential victimsunder the Victim Care Contract provided by the Salvation Army, (2) how many of these young peoplehave entered the adult support services onleaving the Independent Child Trafficking Advocate (ICTA) service, and (3) if this information is not currently available, whether they will instruct the ICTA service and the Salvation Army to collect data on the number of young people entering adult support services having been referred to the NRM as a child but still awaiting a decisionand specifically the number ofreferrals made from the ICTA service to the Salvation Army.

baroness williams of trafford: Information on the Independent Child Trafficking Advocate (ICTA) service and children who exited support can be found in the Interim Report published by the Home Office in July, and the accompanying data tables on Gov.UK.On turning 18, any young person who is awaiting an NRM decision, becomes eligible for support from The Salvation Army through the Victim Care Contract. It is part of the ICTA’s role to ensure they effectively transition children turning 18 into appropriate support upon leaving the ICTA service. This can include services procured through The Salvation Army and a range of locally provided adult services. The transition of children out of the ICTA service, including when a child turns 18, is being examined as part of the next phase of the assessment of the ICTA service in early adopter sites and will form part of the final report, to be published in Spring 2019.The Government has also commissioned an Independent Review of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 which is examining section 48 of the Act, which provides for ICTAs.

Slavery and Trafficking Reparation Orders

lord mccoll of dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Slavery and Trafficking Reparation Orders under the Modern Slavery Act 2015 have been made in each year since the passing of the Act; how many victims have receivedcompensation as a result of those reparation orders; and what was the(1) total, and (2) average, amount of those compensation awards.

baroness williams of trafford: To the end of the calendar year 2017, the latest period of data that is available shows that no slavery, trafficking and reparation orders have been made.We are currently using the review of the Modern Slavery Act to assess the effectiveness of these powers.

Hate Crime

lord pearson of rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 29 October (HL10678), whether the police and the Crown Prosecution Service definition of a hate crime includes hate speech.

baroness williams of trafford: The Police and Crown Prosecution Service definition for flagging and identifying hate crime is:“Any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice, based on a person's disability or perceived disability; race or perceived race; or religion or perceived religion; or sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation; or transgender identi-ty or perceived transgender identity."

Department for Exiting the European Union

European External Action Service

lord balfe: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many UK nationals currently work for the European External Action Service (EEAS); how many of these staff are on secondment from the UK civil service; whether they have undertaken an assessment of how many of those (1) on secondment, and (2) directly employed by the EEAS plan to continue to work there after the UK leaves the EU; and if so, what were their findings.

lord callanan: Information provided by the EEAS shows that as of 14 November 2018 there were a total of 115 UK nationals working for the EEAS. Of these, 33 were seconded from the UK civil service.The EEAS has informed staff of UK nationality that all HMG officials seconded to the EEAS will be required to end their role by 29 March 2019. Permanent Officials employed by the EEAS with UK nationality will be able to continue their employment in Headquarters in Brussels, but they will no longer be able to serve in EU Delegations overseas.As set out in the Government’s White Paper on the future relationship between the UK and the EU, we hope to agree a programme for the reciprocal exchange of expertise and skills as part of the future UK-EU partnership. Our priority is agreeing mutually beneficial arrangements for the longer term, in line with our overall future partnership with the EU.

Treasury

Banks: Finance

lord birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the European Banking Authority's recent analysis of the strength of UK banks in adverse scenarios.

lord bates: The Government supports the use of stress tests as a tool to ensure the ongoing resilience of the European Union’s banking sector. Well capitalised banks, under a robust regulatory framework, are better able to lend to the economy, supporting jobs and growth. A full response to the European Banking Authority’s (EBA) report has been published by the Bank of England (BoE). The BoE noted that the results of the latest EBA test confirmed the results of earlier BoE stress tests that the participating UK banks would be resilient to a severe economic and market stress. The BoE will publish the results for its next annual stress tests on 5 December.

Burma: Freezing of Assets

baroness nye: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the value of the assets seized in the (1) UK, and (2) rest of the EU from the seven military and security personnel from Burma sanctioned by the EU on 25 June.

lord bates: Her Majesty’s Treasury (HMT) is not responsible for the freezing of assets, neither does it hold them. The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), which is part of HMT, ensures that financial sanctions are properly understood and implemented in the UK and it is for holders of assets subject to sanctions to ensure that they are frozen under the regulations. (1) OFSI undertakes an Annual Review of frozen assets in the UK, requiring all persons or institutions that hold or control frozen assets in the UK to report to OFSI. Details of assets reported to OFSI for the 2018 Review are still being compiled and are not yet available. (2) HM Treasury does not hold this information.

Exports

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Office for Budget Responsibility, Economic and fiscal outlook, published in October, which anticipates exports falling as a share of the overall economy in the next five years.

lord bates: The Office for Budget Responsibility is independent of Ministers and any views published are their own.Since November 2016, the OBR has not assumed any one particular outcome to EU exit negotiations but has based its forecasts on broad-brush assumptions regarding Brexit that are consistent with a range of possible outcomes, as well as judgements about the economy following the referendum.In its October 2018 forecast, the OBR have included a two-year transition period. After this they assume leaving the EU will reduce trade intensity which affects both imports and exports with a broadly offsetting impact on net trade. In its latest forecast, the OBR also revised down its forecast for world trade growth, contributing to a downward revision in UK export market growth in the near term. These factors contribute to the decline in exports as a share of GDP.Going forward, the Government will continue to provide support for UK exporters through the Department for International Trade by encouraging more businesses to export, providing information, advice and practical assistance on exporting, connecting UK businesses to overseas buyers, and putting finance at the heart of our offer through UK Export Finance.

Higher Education: Pensions

baroness garden of frognal: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to provide an estimate of the cumulative financial impact on the higher education sector as a result of the actuarial valuation changes to the (1) Teachers' Pension Scheme, (2) Local Government Pension Scheme, and (3) NHS Pension Scheme.

lord bates: The quadrennial valuations of public service pension schemes are ongoing. Precise financial impacts will not be known until the valuations are finalised.